(CNN) - The story has been floating around for months on the campaign trail, but Mitt Romney and his wife Ann have largely avoiding discussing the fate of their Irish Setter Seamus, who the now-candidate put in a kennel and strapped to the roof of his family's station wagon for a trip to Canada in the 1980s.

On Monday, the couple addressed the story head on, saying in an interview with ABC News that the tale of Seamus was clouded with misinformation.

"It's crazy," Ann Romney said in the interview with ABC's Diane Sawyer. "The dog loved it."

The candidate's wife explained how excited the dog got when he saw the crate, saying she thought it was "a kinder thing to bring him along than to leave him in the kennel for two weeks."

When asked if he would transport a dog like that now, Mitt Romney said he would not.

"Certainly not with the attention it's received," Romney said.

The story has circulated among Romney's opponents for months.

In January, the top adviser to President Barack Obama's reelection campaign took a not-so-veiled jab at Mitt Romney, tweeting a photo of the president riding in the presidential limousine with his Portuguese Water Dog Bo.

"How loving owners transport their dogs," David Axelrod wrote.

Newt Gingrich first introduced the tale of Romney's dog Seamus into the 2012 contest earlier in January, when his campaign released a web video featuring Romney awkwardly explaining how his family's Irish Setter ended up in a kennel on the top of a moving car.

As Romney explained in the Fox News clip featured by the Gingrich campaign, "he climbed up there regularly, enjoyed himself. He was in a kennel at home a great deal of time as well.

“We loved the dog,” Romney continued. “It was where he was comfortable and we had five kids inside the car and my guess is he liked it a lot better in his kennel than he would have liked it inside."

soundoff(38 Responses)

Axelrod is killing him with this. I love it. Bo is alot cooler than Seamus anyway. And who comes up with a name like Seamus for a dog??

April 17, 2012 08:14 am at 8:14 am |

Laurie

"When asked if he would transport a dog like that now, Mitt Romney said he would not. "Certainly not with the attention it's received," Romney said."

Wow, so you'd do it again if you were sure you wouldn't get caught. Very revealing. Your wife lying about the dog enjoying riding in it's on fecal matter for 12 hours was also a lie. I guess that's why, according to your sons, the dog ran away and was never seen again when you finally arrived in Canada.

April 17, 2012 08:15 am at 8:15 am |

roscoe

He means he wouldn't do it since it hurt him in the polls.....of course, next week, he'll decide he is for putting the dog on the roof again.

This is how out of touch Romney is. Placing their family dog in a kennel and on the roof. My wife will decimate me in an instant if I placed our dog Conan in a kennel let alone placing the kennel in the roof top of the car and run the car at a speed of 65 miles per hour. May be Romney owed to make a big kennel and try to stay in the kennel on the roof top of his car and get their dog drive to see how he feels.

April 17, 2012 09:07 am at 9:07 am |

rh

The reason they wouldn't do it again? Bad press from doing it.

I suppose there are countless ways you can abuse your child without being arrested, but yes, I suppose it would look bad for a politician.

"Excited" = "Feared for his life".

Crapping down the back of the car is not a sign of enjoyment.

April 17, 2012 09:08 am at 9:08 am |

gg

no he,ll be in the trunk

April 17, 2012 09:15 am at 9:15 am |

Dave

The media is so biased. They make a big deal out of this, but fail to report that Obama hangs out with known terrorists.

April 17, 2012 09:22 am at 9:22 am |

Randy, San Francisco

Political media coverage is literally going to the dogs! There are more important matters to discuss and debate than transporting a dog on the roof of a car.

April 17, 2012 09:34 am at 9:34 am |

king

I have to admit that I get wheezy when stocks goes up, because that means oil prices goes up too, when stocks goes down oil prices goes down. These folks are trading oil prices on the stock market like there is no tomorrow, then blaming the president that he's not drilling in every back yard choking the earth of oxygen. This is rediculous that oilis not about supply and demand anymore, but its for the few wealthy, who will use the repubs to throw more wool over the eyes of the already severely gullible American people.

April 17, 2012 09:40 am at 9:40 am |

Jim

To be so filthy rich all his life and still transport his dog on the roof of a car is sickening. This twisted idiot had no excuse. He had more than enough money to take them all on a vacation without the need to strap a dog onto the roof of a car to drive to CANADA. Words fail me..

April 17, 2012 09:41 am at 9:41 am |

GI Joe

Riiiiiiigggghhhhttt!!! And he can't have illegals working for him while he's running for President. "ha ha ha ha".

Isn't he funny (not). Don't ever believe a word a mormon tells you -they are out for #1 only.

April 17, 2012 09:56 am at 9:56 am |

Beverly - NYC

Certainly not with the attention it's received," Romney said.
God forbid he admiits it was the wrong thing to do, transporting a dog for 12 hours on top of a car, Is this guy capable of simple human feelings?